Chapter 13
795 Words
Ava's POV :
Hearing the warmth in Albert’s voice a quiet thought bloomed inside me.
What kind of prince loves his people so deeply?
I found myself wanting to see him just once,with my own eyes.
Suddenly,Albert stopped walking.
“Ava, wait here.Don’t go anywhere.
I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” I replied obediently.
He led his horse away disappearing into the crowd. Left alone I stood still clutching my hands together.
Everything around me felt unfamiliar,the fabrics people wore the strange accents in their voices the way they moved so confidently through this world I didn’t belong to.
Just then,I felt a small tug on my dress.
I looked down to see a child standing there thin and timid.
I bent my knees and lowered myself to their level.
“Do you want to say something?” I asked gently.
The child nodded slowly.
“Yes… please give me some money.I’m very hungry.
I haven’t eaten anything for two days.”
My heart clenched painfully.
“I don’t have any money,” I said softly. “How can I buy you something right now?”
The sadness in the child’s eyes hurt more than any wound.
I placed my hand on their small shoulder.
“Wait here,” I whispered. “I’ll do something. Don’t worry okay?”
Hope flickered across their face as they stood beside me.
Quietly I approached a nearby shop.My hands trembled as I reached out.I had never stolen anything in my life,but hunger has a way of silencing fear.
Carefully I took a piece of bread and returned pressing it into the child’s hands while placing a finger over my lips.
The child understood immediately and clutched the bread with joy.
When I reached for another loaf everything happened too fast.
A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist from behind,tight unyielding.
My breath caught in my throat.
This is it,I thought.
I’m going to die here today.
Terrified I quickly put the bread back and turned around.
Standing before me was a tall figure wrapped in a black Cloak. His face was hidden in shadow,only his nose and lips were visible.
“I....... I didn’t steal anything…” I stammered my voice shaking.
Seeing me caught,the child panicked and ran away.
Before I could say another word chaos erupted.
Another cloaked man rushed in from behind attacking the hooded figure. I screamed a warning,but in a single fluid motion the cloaked boy yanked me aside and plunged a dagger straight into the attacker’s chest.
Everything froze for a heartbeat.
Then screams filled the air.
People scattered in every direction knocking over stalls as they fled.
Panic swallowed the marketplace whole.
More men rushed toward us.The cloaked boy grabbed my hand and ran pulling me along as he searched for somewhere,anywhere to hide.
I struggled against his grip.
“I told you,I didn’t steal anything!” I shouted fear and frustration bursting from my chest.
My voice drew attention.
Six or seven men suddenly surrounded us cutting off every path of escape.
My knees felt weak.Fear crawled up my spine.
The Cloaked boy slowly drew his sword. With one hand he held onto me placing me behind him and with the other he fought.
He moved like lightning shielding me with his body.
Suddenly,an attacker struck from behind.
The blade slashed into his sword arm.
Blood spilled instantly.
I screamed in horror.
From a distance Albert noticed the chaos,the screaming crowd the clash of steel the terror in the air.His heart dropped as he rushed back to the place where he had left me.
But I wasn’t there.
Panic gripped him tightly.
“Ava!” he shouted desperately pushing through the crowd.
“Ava........ where are you?!”
___________
The sound of steel slicing through flesh echoed before I could even scream.
The cloaked boy was struck,his arm cut deeply by a sword.Blood spilled instantly dark and horrifying and my entire body went numb.
I couldn’t look away.My eyes were locked on his wounded hand my breath trapped in my throat.
Before I could react he pulled me behind him shielding me with his body. Without hesitation he shifted his sword from his injured right hand to his left as if the pain meant nothing.
Even wounded he continued fighting,fast precise terrifyingly calm.
My heart pounded so loudly I thought it might burst.
Suddenly,a man with his face wrapped in black cloth lunged at him from behind.I wanted to scream a warning but my voice failed me. Somehow he sensed the attack and dodged just in time.
The enemy’s blade didn’t strike his body,but it tore through his cloak instead.
The fabric split apart and slipped from his shoulders.
And then,I saw his face.
My eyes widened in shock.
- Writer
